Fernapple's Profile

Have you wondered if perhaps the godbotherers of the US love trump because he does truly represent ...

Novelty comments on Apr 17, 2020:

I doubt it has much to do with anything more than the worship of authority and alpha males. Nothing more. Remember when Obama was president and all the Republicans were singing praises to Putin because he was a real leader unlike Obama. It was Sarah Palin that started that stupidity wave. It's...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

They like him because, in effect, he says that it is Ok not to bother thinking. It is fine just to sit on you perjudices and never question anything. The reason people usually like authority figures.

Well, I made someone’s naughty list today ! Look what showed up in the mail ! A CD!!!!! Mercy ! ...

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ugh. Can the CD be used for anything? Copied over, maybe? At least the pamphlet looks like it's recyclable.

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

Hey. Don't recycle repurpose, have you not heard how short of toilet paper the world is right now.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Flowerwall I don't think that it is a community in that sense no. My post was to probe just that question, to what degree dose it exist/not exist as a community, if at all. I do think that 'something exists' yes, and you can not say that there is nothing there, since conversation alone is certainly an aspect of community, and the online 'community has been known to do things like raising money for charities and cloud funding, which could not have been done by normal methods. But that leaves three questions. Does a community have to have all the features of a community to be called a community, and if not, which ones can be left out ? Are some parts communities and not others, if so which and why ? And. If you do not use the word community, then what word do you use ?

Are aware of the space between who you and who you think you are? Thoughts?

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 15, 2020:

If I was aware of this gap, wouldn't it disappear?

Fernapple replies on Apr 16, 2020:

@Omnedon Yep. And its a hard one, which is why Plato thought it the most worthwhile thing we could do. It is only in resent years since the deaths of my parents that I have started to reflect on my autism, which my parents kept from me, and how it affected my early life especially, which in turn affects deeply the way I see myself now.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 16, 2020:

I was not really interested in the virus, it was more a question to probe the nature of the community on this site. Including how the so called, on line community differs from a traditional one, where it would be unthinkable to lose a member without someone noticing.

Are aware of the space between who you and who you think you are? Thoughts?

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 15, 2020:

If I was aware of this gap, wouldn't it disappear?

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@Omnedon No it does not say that you have to know both, just be aware that there is a space between the two. The wording is very exact. And of course since there is space you can push out into space, thereby getting, who you think you are, nearer to who you truly are, is the point.

I LOVE ferns, especially the dozen or so varieties I've collected in my woodland yard (if only I had...

glennlab comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Post your pics as a reply they should post

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@tinkercreek Well done we got them.

People are =/= to their religion I am most definitely an infidel in that I have no belief in any ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 14, 2020:

Hate the lie not the lied to.

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@gigihein No, I do not think that is true. Many do live in and promote cultures which are actively anti-intellectual. Anti-intellectuallism plays to one of our natural failings, namely laziness. True education, promotes the idea that truth can only be approached and never finally obtained, and that the closest approach is only obtained by hard work and questioning. Anti-intellectualism therefore, by telling people that they know all they need to know already, and that work does not get you closer to the truth, pushes the lazy and the cowardly button prefectly. That is why religion which teaches that you are blessed with god given truth, final forever, perfect, and suited to all circumstances, is such an effective sub-set of anti -intellectuallism, because it plays exactly to out lowest desires.

“Above all, don't lie to yourself.

brentan comments on Apr 14, 2020:

I'm not sure what his thinking is. A man who knows the truth about people might come to the same conclusion. But I accept his focus here is on lying. The truth apparently has value so morality is involved. I wonder how truth got its value when so much can be gained through lying?

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

"I wonder how truth got its value when so much can be gained through lying?" You can say that again, that could be the mantra for all religion, if only they knew how to do honesty with themselves. Or maybe that is who he is talking about.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

desertastronomer comments on Apr 14, 2020:

"5,000 Active members" Are you kidding me? As far as 1 in 5,000, your use of 50 cabillion Chinese and 10 cabillion Indians, to bolster your claim is misleading, putting it mildly. How many of these Chinese and Indians have been exposed to the virus? Of course they aren't going to be infected and ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

Don't take the figures too seriously. The figures were only based on me extrapolating the current UK model, the post is not intended to be about the figures.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Marionville comments on Apr 14, 2020:

I think we’ve already lost a few in the time we’ve been going here with the site. Not from Coronavirus of course...although that is possible too, but from other causes. Sometimes members just disappear without deleting their accounts and with no explanation or note to others whom they’ve ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

A lot. There used to be a member from Aus. who was in his late eighties I think, who suddenly went when we had been having long and interesting chats about various scientific subjects, sadly I can't remember his tag.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Matias comments on Apr 14, 2020:

To which model do you refer? Maybe the virus will kill 5 of 1000 infected. How many people worldwide will become infected before we'll have a vaccine? Nobody knows yet

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

No that is minimum for the whole population not those infected.

No improvement in the weather today.

Fernapple comments on Apr 13, 2020:

We need rain, will swap you. Bet it is still warm enough to take your coffee outside though.

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@Petter That's what I thought, temp here today was 8C, with wind cloud and drizel.

“Ah, spring--and Easter! Although spring began on the Vernal Equinox, some people see Easter as...

Word comments on Apr 13, 2020:

The biblical text follows out of Egypt and most do not understand nor know the connections that the biblical text actually saying in new testiment that the Egyptian stories come true. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

There is only one morning star, it is thought to be just another name for the planet Venus.

Don't know why I like this video, or why/if you should watch it.

seenoevil9620 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

How about Fox ? Altho I think they keep to themselfs ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Could be.

My Bay Laurel is coming into flower now.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Apr 13, 2020:

Yay! I actually just bought two baby Bay trees. Looking forward to never again buying dried up Bay leaves at exorbitant prices. ☺️

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

They grow quickly and if you give them a couple of years to establish, you will have more bay than you could ever use. Don't overdo it though, too much bay is not good for you.

If you were stranded on an island for eternity, name one book or cd you would need to have in your ...

Charles1971 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

How to Survive on a Deserted Island https://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-Deserted-Island-Prepare/dp/1429622822 :D

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Very practical.

"But Marge, what if we chose the wrong religion?

Fernapple comments on Apr 13, 2020:

The best argument to point out the illogic of religion.

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@WilliamCharles One argument for atheism is. Who is god most likely to respect and least likely to harm. Someone who honestly said they did not know him, or someone who faked being his friend and went round telling everyone they had exclusive knowledge of what he said.

Searching for a soulmate is futile. Your thoughts?

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 12, 2020:

So are you blaming Plato for seeding unattainable expectations?

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 The idea is presented by Plato as an old one, dressed up in a silly metaphor introduced by Alcibiades, Socrates ill fated and drunken lover, and Socrates pours cold water on the idea. The idea is presented as an existing one, which needs to be squashed before a better version of love can be described. Therefore it would not be Platos invention perhaps. Though it has to be said that the love presented by socrates as ideal, is a version straight out of a Nineteen Eighty Four style totalitarian nightmare. Never was an admirer of Plato.

Don't know why I like this video, or why/if you should watch it.

seenoevil9620 comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Great video , the one time the hoarse stopped at about 4:35 - 4: 38 and there was a pack of coyotes or something running along the edge of the open field off in the distance ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Yes I saw that and could not work out what they were. Since this I think is the UK they could not be coyotes, I think they must be deer, or sheep.

The ferns are starting to unfurl.

Surfpirate comments on Apr 12, 2020:

They don't appear to be Ostrich ferns, therefore you probably shouldn't eat them.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Yes Ostrich ferns are the only ones you can safely eat. I have those too but they are among the first to come up, so they are well past that stage with me now.

“ I would warn you that I do not attribute to nature either beauty or deformity, order or ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 12, 2020:

No I do not agree with that. Beauty, deformity, order and confusion are programs within the human brain, which is itself a product of nature.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@avectoi Both, almost certainly I would say that things like beauty a to an extent both emergent, learned but also hard wired. Nothing exists in human culture or thought without a hard wired drive to trigger it, or why would we bother with it.

Part of my indoctrination as a believer was that humans have souls and other creatures do not.

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Hell Kent Hovand says not only do animals not have souls but they can't feel pain. So he got one thing right afterall. I just would not want to be his dog.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Posted this at the top, but thought you may like it. When as a youth and I first encountered the illogic of the, "humans have souls animals don't", from christian teachers. Along with all the other similar BS, they usually pedal about the 'big' difference between humans and animals to justify that, ( funny how its always a 'big' difference, ) such as, animals can not think, feel emotions, or be moral. It was one of the first things that helped me to see through religion and a lot of so called education. I remember one especially odious christian teacher, who one day told me that it was impossible for animals to think, and that their behaviour was only due to Pavlovian conditioned reflexes. (He did not understand Pavlov properly.) Nor could they understand human language, be self aware or understand things which required language skills and self awareness, such as pointing with the hand. "If you point an animal looks at your hand, not the thing you are pointing at." So I went home, called my dog and pointed at her chair. She jumped in and sat down. Blew my faith in the school and the religion. Wise dog that.

Dicitencello vuie - Mario Lanza - [youtu.be]

Marionville comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sadly not available for me either.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Rossy92 Thank for your efforts anyway. One of the best things to do, is to look and see if the same video is available on YouTube, and if not, then try to load it there yourself, You Tube is available world wide, and few people have any problem reading it.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last ...

FearlessFly comments on Apr 11, 2020:

The Bard is great, but not sure what it has to do with "Religion & Spirituality"

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Interesting comment , but even more so what has, Religion and Spirituality, to do with Agnostic.com anyway. LOL

Dicitencello vuie - Mario Lanza - [youtu.be]

Marionville comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sadly not available for me either.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Rossy92 Thank you.

"The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies ...

Merseyman1 comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sweetening the pill for believers! I admire Carl Sagan and all he stood for, but I would change the word god: too bad a reputation...

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Nature I think is better.

How can India just have 7600 cases of corono virus?

EdEarl comments on Apr 11, 2020:

India isn't testing; they have no idea how many citizens and visitors have covid.

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

India has little idea how many citizens it has period, it has one of the highest proportions of legally invisible people in the democratic world, especially there are thought to be a very high number of unregistered women, who do not even have birth certificates.

How can India just have 7600 cases of corono virus?

Varn comments on Apr 11, 2020:

I don’t think they’ve the ability to test… We’ll have to watch for overcrowding along side the Ganges and depletion of firewood to know for sure..

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Bigwavedave Burning the bodies.

Plants in the park around our hotel in Perth, Western Australia. Today it's 37C.

Cast1es comments on Apr 11, 2020:

These are lovely . What are the blue ones in the last photo ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

Plumbago. The grey/ blue colour is said to be like 'plumbum' the latin for lead, which also gave us plumbing.

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.

zeuser comments on Apr 11, 2020:

I bet the guys who maintained the torture equipment during the Inquisition were happy they had steady jobs and were doing gawd's will by tormenting helpless innocents in the name of our lord, many of whom simply died on the rack, screaming.

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

They were also very well paid, and able to fiddle the expenses and extract tips from their victims. ( It was like some eating houses, the less you tipped the worse it got.)

This was something to think about.

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It’s not real! It’s allegory. This is John, the mystical fellow. He is building on Matthew (who is the great apocalyptic drama queen anyway, the Cecil B. DeMille of gospel writing) and inserting the whip into the narrative. The question to ask is why is the mystic adding allegory to the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 Mind you I just thought of a truly banal reason why John would mention the making of the whip. Which may be the true one, because the banal reasons usually are. Which is that. Someone or some people may have asked, where the whip came from, and John may have been trying to go one up on Matthew, by seeming to provide answers he could not.

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over.

Freedompath comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Anyone doing that better have their little ducks in a row...when they go there! Wouldn’t recommend it for everyone!

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Freedompath Wow, you two are really mixing metaphors, talk about living life on the edge alright. LOL

This was something to think about.

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It’s not real! It’s allegory. This is John, the mystical fellow. He is building on Matthew (who is the great apocalyptic drama queen anyway, the Cecil B. DeMille of gospel writing) and inserting the whip into the narrative. The question to ask is why is the mystic adding allegory to the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 It could be that it was a metaphor for attonement, in other words Jesus is going to be whipped, so first he must whip someone else. It could be that it is meant to prove that Jesus has godly foresight, and that he really does nothing out of passion. Or it could be that there is a lost theological debate about where did the whip come from, which is no longer remembered, but was important at the time and John needed to answer it. The fact that I alone can come up with three different reasons, without even trying shows just how impossible it is to guess anything at this degree of remove.

How Religion Spreads COVID-19 [patheos.com]

nicknotes comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I remember Jesus saying to pray by yourself in a closet.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@DenoPenno *Elvis lives*. Acording to D. Adams on a planet far far away.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It has a rounded snout about like a mouse but looks bigger. I am used to rats having sharper snouts, almost like opossums. This one is actually cute!

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Maybe UK rats are a different species/sub-species but this one was quite cute. Though I think that I sadly may have taken its mate away. This winter a rat tried to chew through my garage door, causing a lot of damage, so I trapped it, and let it go in the woods several miles away. If it was this ones mate, then it may be sad, because she was the cutest little female with a shiny coat, big bright eyes and glossy fur I have ever seen.

Four photos shots taken using a long focal length while hand holding, which still came out fairly ...

fishline79 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

They're nice. The ones of the mouse were not as clear, I believe because the camera had switched to a low-light mode but they don't seem to be blurred from movement. BTW I live in PA and haven't seen a "Ring Neck Pheasant" in probably 30 years! Apparently in Pennsylvania they have been hunted to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

The 'mouse' is soft coloured because it was shot through a window, and the glare got between it and the camera.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

Allamanda comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Aha! Would you say that's a rat or a mouse?

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@Allamanda No their tails have small hairs though they are often really bare in older ones. This one looked very young and fit.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

Allamanda comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Aha! Would you say that's a rat or a mouse?

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Oh it is certaily a rat. It is living in the steam bank I think, note the prehencile tail, quite neat.

Oh shit, I should've it would too good to be true.

Paracosm comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Wow! Yet another example that there is no hate quite like christian love.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Love that phrase. "there is no hate like christian love. " Will try to remember that, thank you.

How Religion Spreads COVID-19 [patheos.com]

nicknotes comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I remember Jesus saying to pray by yourself in a closet.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Yes, and he also said that, Christians had to be poor, even pennyless, that trade and money were barred from the temple/church, that family life was forbiden, investing money was pointless, and that he would return before the last of his living followers died. ( Not that I would ever say that christians cherry pick the bits they want and ignore their supposed leader. )

What in your opinion is the worst set of words in our common(US/UK english) language.

ZantiMisfit comments on Apr 9, 2020:

"Everyone is talking about" this or that.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

"You mean, you hav'nt heard."

I just read this statement and it made me think, Agnostic.

bobwjr comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Individuals who want to promote atheism

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda I believe that title was already taken. Simple as that.

Vote for one of these? I've been bored. Six pieces in a week.

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog It can snag, but who cares, sometimes you have to throw your hat in the air.

Vote for one of these? I've been bored. Six pieces in a week.

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda, @PondartIncbendog I often use two parts oil to one part varnish., it seals the surface but still gives a pearl/oil type finish, I rub it on with a rag while the piece is still spinning.

Vote for one of these? I've been bored. Six pieces in a week.

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda Which one ?

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

RichCC comments on Apr 7, 2020:

So Rev. Spain thinks the Babble is a big collection of allegorical stories? Cool, I guess. She only seems to talk about Adam and Eve and the Fall(tm). And wants to imply that since she can make a loose correlation between what she thinks is a common life pattern and a myth story that the whole ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 8, 2020:

Its called cherry picking. Yes some parts of the bible, perhaps a much as 20% were writen eventually ( we don't know about originally ) as poetic metaphors, but you can not use a part to justify the whole.

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

Word comments on Apr 7, 2020:

@brentan Have I not posted, where you have seen, the video I like that explains the garden story from a myth point of view? I have posted the video several times in discussions. The explanation gives the garden story from original language which is different from the English translations. This ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 8, 2020:

@Word Yes the maybe should perhaps have been left out. It is just that I like people to be free to judge themselves, and not to assert things myself.

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

Fernapple comments on Apr 7, 2020:

Yes a lot of the Bible should be read metaphorically. There are however several problems with reading it all that way. Firstly, Any book can be read metaphorically, and a lot of them, like Winnie The Pooh, are far better. Secondly. Since it is possible to Cherry pick anything you want from...

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

@brentan Many people find it hard to understand the Bible and books like it from the past , because the teaching of history today is generally so bad that very few people have any apreciation of historical context. The many people who have the idea that book copists in the past had a modern view of acedemic accuracy, and that they copied faithfully. Where in fact giving it a new spin, to fit your sponsors views was seen as the highest of skills, and new interpritations were seen as inspired. While plagiarization was not a crime but also a much admired skill.

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

Word comments on Apr 7, 2020:

@brentan Have I not posted, where you have seen, the video I like that explains the garden story from a myth point of view? I have posted the video several times in discussions. The explanation gives the garden story from original language which is different from the English translations. This ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

@brentan It was very good and well worth looking up, it makes clear the pitfalls of the metaphorical view. And shows how, 'maybe' the Hebrew original was distorted to fit Christian theology. Here it is. https://agnostic.com/group/ReligiousNaturalism/post/441368/continued-from-my-other-post-about-cognition-or-the-mental-action-cognition-the-mental-action

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

skado comments on Apr 6, 2020:

I guess there are a lot of people who have never encountered the concept of allegory.

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

Good we can begin our debate again, this is the coment I placed at the top. Yes a lot of the Bible should be read metaphorically. There are however several problems with reading it all that way. Firstly, Any book can be read metaphorically, and a lot of them, like Winnie The Pooh, are far better. Secondly. Since it is possible to Cherry pick anything you want from a mess like the bible, to support any view you like, even if taken literally, it becomes truly meaningless if taken metaphorically. Yet that does not stop people using it as a higher authority to support their own inventions, which is the main problem with 'holy' books. The metaphorical view, is, to use a metaphor, 'Gods gift' , to the fundamentalists, and the corner stone of their anti-humanism. Thirdly. Many of the more honest metaphorical interpretations are truly evil, even more so than the literal. Ruth for example which metaphorically says, that women are only happy and successful if they are subservient. Fourth. It make a nonsense of the bible as literature, and the understanding of it as such. Since it was written by many different authors over a long period and for many different reasons, it therefore almost certainly includes a lot of different genre, some of which should not be taken metaphorically. At least, some metaphor, (Genesis ) political propaganda, ( eg. Kings, Exodus, Chronicles) some imaginative fiction, ( eg. Ruth, Job ) some attempts at genuine law writing, ( eg. leviticus ), Religious propaganda, (eg. Isaiah ) some forgeries and attempts at deliberate deception, ( I would say all the NT, or at least Paul ), poetry ( Psalms, ) etc. etc. The metaphorical view is as narrow and fundamentalist as the totally literal. Fifth. It has been rewritten mistranslated so many times, that any original metaphors are lost , yet that does not stop people making the mistake of thinking they can possess the original metaphors, or concluding that they can prove certain metaphorical views, and that that metaphor was the intention of the originators. Typical of this is that the author Bridget Spain , presents the usual fall from grace, original sin, Christian view of the creation myth, which was created to justify the blood sacrifice of Christ, but is without a doubt completely at odds with the original Hebrew reading of it.

Mark Kokzuckerberg strikes again.

Paracosm comments on Apr 7, 2020:

That seems rather childish. Perhaps you should look into a more meaningful way of addressing the issue. Like a class action lawsuit for religious discrimination.

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

@Allamanda Translation ?

HOW CAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE GROWN UP IN A TECHNOLOGICAL WESTERN NATION BELIEVE 5G PHOBE SERVICE COULD ...

anglophone comments on Apr 7, 2020:

It is a sad comment on the culpable stupidity of the those who are willfully ignorant. Their refusal to learn sometimes ends up killing other people.

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

In some ways it is very much the failing of the education system. For so long governments have promoted education as only, a means to ascend the narrow conventional employment ladder. For the vast majority of people therefore, who have no ambitions to ascend that ladder beyond the lower levels, or even any expectations of employment, plus those with unconventional ambitions, it is seen as simply pointless. While the really important benefits of education, that it can make you a happier and more fullfilled human being, better able to use the benefits of leisure, and a better member of society with a better understanding of the world in which you live, plus an immunity to pseudo education and expliotation by commercial, religious and political cults and institutions, go mainly neglected, both in the education system and its promotion. Why you would think that those commercial religious and political institutions had a vested interest in keeping people ignorant.

Why is this app called “Agnostic”?

Emanuele comments on Apr 7, 2020:

I have had my fill of these type of repetitive posts !

Fernapple replies on Apr 7, 2020:

I look for the funny comments that follow.

Why is this app called “Agnostic”?

Gareth comments on Apr 6, 2020:

I take it that you are open-minded about the existence of unicorns then?

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

Look, I put cakes out in the garden for the unicorns every night, and every morning they are gone.

We may all need a cheer up, and as we have perhaps been getting enough opinions, I just thought that...

FearlessFly comments on Apr 6, 2020:

I resemble those remarks ! :O :P . . . I have seen her before.

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

We all resemble those remarks, or we would not be on here commenting. But some of us do it with style.

These Two Guys Belong in a Rubber Room: [facebook.com]

Haemish1 comments on Apr 6, 2020:

But somehow they get time on TV? 🤦‍♂️

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

The truth can be boring, I think they only want people who are entertaining on TV. Though some peoples idea of entertainment !

This Coronavirus is a walk in the park compared to epidemics faced by our ancestors.

Fernapple comments on Apr 6, 2020:

Yes it is not quite as bad as some other diseases. But you have to compare like with like, which you can not do, because the figures for corona virus, (so far) are for a disease where modern quarantine understanding and disease control measures have been applied. Most of that did not exist in many ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

@WilliamFleming But I said nothing about treatment.

COVID-19 threatens to rip apart Southern states in a way that isn't happening anywhere else

WilliamFleming comments on Apr 5, 2020:

You would think that a person of Paul Krugman’s education and stature would use his position to foster unity, along with mutual respect and cooperation, especially in a time of crisis. Krugman has a long history of hostility toward conservatives and southerners. If you look at the maps ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

The blue states are most likely only affected worse so far, because they have more transport ( international ) links and more population, it will just take longer to peak in the south. Thats just silly of him.

"Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.

Freedompath comments on Apr 6, 2020:

That’s scary!

Fernapple replies on Apr 6, 2020:

No its not, its hopeful.

The Americans defying Palm Sunday quarantines: "Satan's trying to keep us apart"

Joanne comments on Apr 5, 2020:

Seems to me that Satan is trying to keep them alive. Well, that makes sense. In the bible it is their god that does all the killing, not Satan.

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

@of-the-mountain Interesting question. In one sense that may be true. In that the original use of satan in the old testament is as a noun, in other words, 'a satan'. Satan being a word which roughly translates as adversary, with perhaps a legal edge, like 'council for the prosecution'. One of the earliest uses being during the plagues of Egypt, when god sends a 'satan' to deliver the plagues. Notice that 'the' satan is an obedient servant of god. The bible even uses the word to describe King David as a satan to the enemies of Israel. He then evolves through the chapters, becoming gods drinking buddy in Job, helping him to torture Job, until in the end he becomes the tempter of christ in the wilderness, possibly. But that depends on how you translate names, and therefore it could be said, and is said, that there is no satan in the bible because there are many, it being a title not a name. There is certainly no satan in the garden of eden, the snake is just a talking snake. Just shows what a lot of inconsistant twadle you are dealing with.

I see that today the UK has had more new cases and more new deaths than either Italy or Spain.

Fernapple comments on Apr 5, 2020:

Yet Sweden is aiming for a higher death toll.

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

@Petter They are trying to get to herd immunity more quickly. I think, because some people don't think that slowing the spread will reduce the death rate, in fact just the oposite in the long run. If you go for a fast spread therefore you get a smaller percentage of your population infected and killed, because you reach herd immunity quickly at a lower percentage, while slowing the spread means that the disease covers the population more completely, because diseases with a lower infection rate tend to infect the population more completely according to some models. The question is whether your health services can cope.

This landed on me today.

Emerald comments on Apr 5, 2020:

I work in a hospital and I heart this more than coffee and chocolate. This is brilliant and I would gladly buy the author a beer.

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

Respect.

Trump says 'nobody' could've predicted a pandemic like coronavirus.

anglophone comments on Apr 5, 2020:

The Tangerine Tantrum is severely allergic to any opinions that differ from his own.

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

He has opinoins ! I thought he just made it up as he went along.

So Sir Keir Starmer is the new labour leader.

Fernapple comments on Apr 4, 2020:

Post office ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

@OwlInASack Yes I forgot the war crimes. I have always been wary of people who try to charm their way to power, charm is like guns, it is something you reach for when you know you can not win the argument or prove your case, but intend to win anyway, at any price. It is trite to compare people to the nazis, but he took the same route to power, if you stand for nothing and have no priciples, then you can tell everyone that you agree with them , and make that illusion last long enough, until its too late, for people to go back. and take away the power they have mistakenly given you.

You may not listen to this in a jiffy, but at least you will know what a jiffy is. [youtube.com]

whiskywoman comments on Apr 4, 2020:

I love this stuff

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

I love people who love this stuff. People who acquire knowledge do so because they take an interest, and they take an interest beacuse the care, and the true measure of a person is how much they care.

So Sir Keir Starmer is the new labour leader.

Fernapple comments on Apr 4, 2020:

Post office ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

@Lorajay, @OwlInASack If I remember right, he was the one who, in a country with a housing shortage, gave a tax relief to his wealthy pals with second homes, gave the world a new word for lying, and covered up his attachment to a religious movement until he was out of office.

So Sir Keir Starmer is the new labour leader.

Fernapple comments on Apr 4, 2020:

Post office ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

@Lorajay Sad that it takes Amazon to do it.

Never ruin an apology with an excuse. – Benjamin Franklin

Freedompath comments on Apr 4, 2020:

I do agree with this, but sometimes I feel it necessary to explain why I ‘ran off the rails!’

Fernapple replies on Apr 5, 2020:

Yes, the why may add something for the recipient.

Spring break aftermath in florida

VictoriaNotes comments on Apr 4, 2020:

For clarification, this is an image from a 2013 blog. https://thisweekontheisland.blogspot.com/2013/03/this-week-on-island-03172013.html